Cigar machine moistening mechanism



Dec. 2l, 1943. s. cLAusEN l CIGAR MACHINE MOISTENING MECHANISM FiledFeb. 9, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 uw N .LTHH u Q n -i il w no. n

mog .m |IVN fil l ma m n Ww M l.' T .I Nw uw E 2.3 mw Nwsw mw Mm Wllwmm/ls Q Sw 3% mw I E m mN. Qml \%.Q VL @L mw. ww uw ww |I I I l I I l l l ll IIL... I lrv ww o Q l, J w t- 1|-, y Mw. QN v W In QW w mi n .hm 1|www@ ww H ...M ww @n f ..-Il I14..., i- Mun .1 HM ..M.HHM-HV... o. a.---,N .J 1i/.MQW R Q n mm. qm. ,-I- -|I|. i}--\ W .0N .QN s -Sl wNmH.Wh.\ A@ .mb S.. I www E; mw mx N wn .O l w m wx.,

Dec. 21, 1943. s CLAUSEN CIGAR MACHINE MoIsTENING MECHANISM 2sheets-sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1942 N .E S U u R me# D mm V mm s BY I v-ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 21, 1943 Sigurd Clausen,

Brooklyn, N. Y., assgnor to International Cigar Machinery Company,y aAcorporation of New Jersey Application February 9, 1942, Serial No.430,128 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-138) This invention relates to cigarmachines, more particularly to mechanism for moistening,` the ends ofthe cigar bunches delivered Afrom the softening mechanism, prior todelivery of the bunches to the crimping or shaping mechanism. Heretoforethe bunch ends were moistened, .as shown in the Halstead Patent1,765,831, by pendent wicks suspended in the path ofthe bunch as it wascarried by the transfer from the softening mechanism to the crimpingmechanism; wherefore the moisture on the bunch ends was transferred tothe crimping jaws of the `crimping mechanism. The moisture so appliedtothe crimper jaws helps to keep the operating faces thereof free oftobacco particles which may es.- cape from the ends of the bunch Aandotherwise would accumulate and form hard lumps on the jaw faces due tothe tobacco juices pressed out of the bunch during the crimpingoperation.

The main object of my invention is tol provide novel devices forsimultaneously locating and moistening the ends of a bunch deliveredfrom the bunch softening means, prior to transfer of the bunch to thecrimping mechanism. The construction of the :locatore shown in theabove-mentioned patent, which is in extensive use on cigar machines,does not permit of ro:- taton of the locators, whereas my locatorsrevolve oppositely in a direction to wipe downthe ends of the binderwhich is spirally wound about the bunch charge. Moreover, moisture istransferred from moisture wells suspended from the locators by endlessmembers, such as ,bead chains, mounted on the exterior of the locatorsand driven therefrom to carry moisture up from the Wells. The locatorsare. perforated to permit the moisture transferred by the bead chains toreach the ends of the bunch engaged by the locator. However, in the caseof cigars which have straight tuck ends, it is unnecessary to moistenthe tuck end ofthe cigar bunch; since with this shape of the cigar bunchthere is not enough compression thereof in the crimper jaws to squeezeout enough tobacco juice to cause the particles of4 tobacco escapingfrom the tuck end of the bunch to form hard lumps of tobacco on theoperating faces of the crimper jaws.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation, partly in section, of the improvedmoistening mechanism associated with the softening mechanism and thebunch transfer for removing the softened bunch;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation ofthe moisteningl and softening mechanism andthe bunch ltransfer viewed fromv the line 21-2 cf Fig. 1;,and.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional View through one ofthe moisture wellsshowing the bead chain suspended in the well from the overlying locator.

With reference to Figs. land 2, the cigar bunch B is delivered from thebunch rolling apronto Vthe softening mechanism at a point A by a. bunchtransfer (not shown) having a construction similar to that shown inthe,l co-pending application of H. H. Wheeler, S. N. 234,001, filedOctober 8, 1938, and having parts'or lingers ,which hold. the bunch andenter slots 5' in the concave 'l and deposit the bunchy between theconcave and the drum' IU. The bunch is rolled along the concave andmanipulated and deposited at the-'position B onxcradle I4 by therotation of thee drum whichis mounted on a shaft 51- driven in acounter-clockwise direction by mechanism hereinafter described. Theconcave is supported froml stationary bars I2 held inthe housingA I3. Oneach of the bars t2 isV clamped a support I5 to which resilient members,such as Wires I6, are clamped by a plate I'l secured to they support bya cap screwV I8. The inner lugs. I9 of the concave 1 have holes throughlwhich thebars I2 pass, and the ends of the wires I areclamped to thevinner` and. outer lugs I9 by plates Zsecured to the latter byvcap screwsZI. TheY cradle I4 on which the bunch B is deposited consists of curvedarms 23 mounted. on'` amember` 24y fastened in and projecting fromhousing I3.. The bunchB resting in cradle I4 is then engagedbyconstantly rotating locating and moisteningheads 2'6 and' 25a, theseheads being moved simultaneously in a horizontal direction towards theends of'bunch B, as willbe presently described.,y End; less bead chainsZ'I each supported in acir-cumferential groove 28 cut in heads `'it and2cd have their lower portions submergedl in water W held in moisture.wells 29 and are thereby constantly driven to carry water up to heads 26and 26a by chains 21, which flows through holes 30 into the conical cups3| formed: in the locator heads which engage the ends of bunch-B. Eachof the moisture wells 2-9 has a iiangeY 33 mounted on the stem of itsrespective locator head, each of `said stems being threaded into thehub`35 of. gear 38.and shaft 36 respectively. Each of saidstemsxrevolvesfreely within vthe flanges' 33, the locator heads being screwedintothehub 35 and shaft 36 respectively, to positions where there issuflicient pla-y. between the shoulders thereof adjacent the .flanges3-3v` to permit their stems to revolve reely'in saidflanges: As shown inFig. 1,.thevst'em lillis'threadedintothe. hub 35, andi thet stern` ofthev locator Zta isf similarly in which they encompass-fthe bunch,

26a, that is the horizontal reciprocating motion. l of the same, isachieved by mechanism which will now be described. A cam 41 has a camVtrack 48 engaging with a. Vcam roller 49 Apivoted Vto an operatingblock'50 which is releasablyl secured to the sleeve 44. Operating'blockV 50 is provided with a track 5I slidably engaging with a shoe l52pivoted to one end of'a double lever l 53, the other end of said leverbeing pivotedA to a shoe 54 slidably engaging with atr'ack'55 offan-operating block 56 adjustably secured. to sleev'e`31 which carries theshaft. 36 on Ywhich the locating head 26a is'mounted. The double Aleverv53 is pivoted to a stud 51a held by. aV bearinglugfof housing I3.The-blocks 50 and 56 may `be clamped or .otherwiseY securedV .to theirrespectivesleeves 4 4 and 31, so that upon releasing the samefromfthesleevesfthe latter maybe adjustedto position the locators toproperly en:

, gage the' ends of Vdifferent lengths of bunches.vr

On shaft 46, which drives thehead 26,.' is fas-.- tened-a-gear'58meshing with a pinion 59.which in turn is driven by a gear .60 looselymounted.v on a stud 6I fastened in theportion of thek housing behindcam41. The gear 6U-is securely attached to'gear 62 which isalsolooselymounted on stud 6I." Gear 62 isA driven from a gear 63 fastened to theAcam 41. The shaft 64 of cam41 is mount,- ed in bearing lugs on'thebottom of housing. I3 and Ygear 63 is driven from the main drive of themachine.Y On shaft36, which revolves head 26a, `is fastened va gear 65meshing with a pinion 65a mounted on a stud 66`fastened in asuitablebear-i ing lug of housing. I3. gear 61 on `the shaft 51 ofdrumIU, and .gear 61 by l The shaft 11 is turned to and fro through a.gear (not shown) mounted thereon and meshing with a rack (not shown)connected to and operated from a cam lever (not shown) actuated by theplate cam 80 on shaft 64. When the fingers reach the bunch B, theprojecting end of the latch 13 is engaged and tripped by theadjustable.. stopscrew 82 onbar. 24, and .the spring ,closes the fingers69 and 10 on .the bunch B to carry it ina clockwise direction to bunchshaping orY crimping mechanism (not shown).

The shaft 84 shown protruding from the housingv I3 is' slidably mountedin the latter and car- V. ries a pair of arms (not shown) both of whichscribed," in the may be yieldingly mounted on the shaft 84, as dey uabove-mentioned Wheeler application, On the outer ends of these arms aremounted Vrelatively yieldable fingers between Y whichlis received thebunch from the rolling apron and from between which it is deposited atthe point A. 'Iheshaft` 84y yhas a gear )segment (not shown) meshingwitha gear segment on a camlever .(not shown)r operated by cam SIL-and shaft84 also has a cam block fastened thereon and provided with aVcircumferential cam track engaged by Ya stationary roller to displacelthe shaft84 axially as it carries .the bunch from the rolling apron tothe softening mechanism.v Since the construction Vof the mechanism .forioscillating and displacing axially the shaft '84, as' well astheconstruction of the arms on the shaft 84 andthe fingers supportedthereon is similar 'to Gear 65a meshes .with

alsov mesheswith gear.5.lY whereby shaftY 36 is i constantly driven.kThebunch B, Vafter moistene ing heads-'Z6 and 26a have moved inlandlocated and moistened its ends, is held between the lo, cators waitingto be moved to its'next position. This is accomplished by a bunchtransferhaving a pair of ngers 69v and 16, the finger 69 having itsupper end 1-I secured on shaft 12. `I'he finer ger 69 ris bifurcated andpivoted on finger 16; anda latch 13 pivoted on finger10 has a shoulderresting on a strip 14 connecting the legs` of fingers 69. A,Y tensionspring 16 connected4 to a post 18 on'nger 69, andA anchored to a.post:80 on latch 13, holds the shoulder of the latch down against theplate 141to maintain the fingers 69 andV 10 in open position to admitthe bunch B therebetween when they descend to a vposition finger 69passing through' aslot in'member 24. 1 -The shaft 12 is supported in andprotrudes from the outer end of la hollow arm '15 wherein it is free torevolve, the inner endof arm'15b'eing fastened to shaft `11. A bevellgear onthe inner end of shaft 12 meshes with a bevel gearon one end of ashaft (not shown) supported within and free to revolve withinthe arm 15and having a bevelv gear (notv shown) `at its'othr end meshing with abevel gear on shaft11',lwhereby the fingers are maintained in an uprightposition a'sthey that `.shown in the above-mentioned Wheelerapplication,.further description is deemedv unnecessary. f

Itwill be understood that other types of endless members maybe employedfor transporting moisture from the wells to the locators, such as 13eUniversal double jointed chain.

The construction and operation of the bunch transfer for transportingthe located and moistened bunch to the crimping mechanism is no part ofthis invention, but forms the subject matter of the co-pendingapplication, J. F. Halstead, Serial: No. 431,197 filed February 17,1942. The bunch locating mechanism also forms the subject matter of Ysaid Halstead application.

What is claimed-is: f

V:1.,In a cigar machine, the'combination with a setof spaced opposedlocator oups, of a support for a cigar bunch,- means for-oppositelymoving said llocator cups toward each other to engage the interior .ofthecups with the ends of a bunch on said support, moisture wellssupported from each locator movable therewith, endless members suspendedfrom said locators and dipping into said wells, andmechanism forrotatingsaid locators while they engage the bunch ends, said locators havingexternal annular grooves wherein said endless membersrare disposed,andperforations extending from the interior of said cups into comemunication with said grooves, whereby rotation v of said locators willdrive said members to cause them to transfer moisture from'said wells tosaid grooves for conduction through said perforations tothe vends of thebun h with which the locators are engaged.4

2. In a cigar machine, the combination with a set of spaced opposedlocator cups, of a support for' a cigar bunch, means forV oppositelymoving said locators cups toward eachother to engage the interior of thecups with the'ends of a bunch von'said support, moisture wells supported'from 'le therewith,` endless members suspendedr from said locatorsanddipping "into said Wells, and mechanism for rotating said 1ocators Whilethey engage the bunch ends, said locators having external annulargrooves Wherein said endless members are disposed, and perforationsextending from the interior of said cups into communication with saidgrooves, whereby rotation of said locators Will drive said members tocause them to transfer moisture from said wells to said grooves forconduction through said perforations to the ends of the bunch with whichthe locators are engaged, said endless members consisting of beadchains.

3. In a cigar machine, the combination With a set of spaced locatoroups, of a support for a cigar bunch, means for oppositely moving saidlocator cups toward each other to engage the interior of the cups withthe ends of a bunch on said support, a moisture Well supported from thelocator which is arranged to engage the head end of the bunch on saidsupport, said Well being movable with said head locator, an endlessmember supported from said head locator and dipping into said Well, andmechanism for rotating said locators While they engage the bunch ends,said head locator having an external annular groove wherein said endlessmember is disposed and perforations extending from the interior of thehead locator cup into communication With said groove, whereby rotationof said head locator Will drive said member to cause it to transfermoisture from said Well to said groove for conduction through saidperforations to the head end of the bunch with Which the head locator isengaged.

SIGURD CLAUSEN.

